When you let the cat out of the bag, where does it end up? What is it about cat’s and boxes. (click thumbnail to enlarge)
Archive for September, 2009
Cat in a box
Saturday, September 19th, 2009Observations of Small Town Living (OOSTL)
Saturday, September 19th, 2009Idaho is known for what? Yes, Potatoes. And we take pride in our spuds. So much so that, at the county fair, we even have a contest to see who can grow the best potatoes. It wasn’t hard to find these babies and see why they won best of show (OK, I just said that to sound smart and to fit in with the locals. I haven’t a clue what makes these any different from McDonald’s french fries). Just take a gander. It’s with great pride that we award “Doug” for his hard work.
Hey, how about a close up? Just click the thumbnail below for a view suitable for framing.
Observations of Small Town Living (OOSTL)
Monday, September 14th, 2009It’s county fair time again and today’s observation comes in the form of cows. This year, we got to the fair early. As in, before the cows were judged and auctioned off. If you get there before the judging, you’ll see something almost surreal. Clean cows. No, not just clean. But clean, shiny, tidy, and not stinky. They relax on a bed of clean sawdust. As you walk past, you see their contest entry information including the owner’s name, and the name of the gigantic mass of beef that sits on the other side of a fence. Names like Penny, Goldie, Gretchen adorn cute little plaques and paper signs. Each lovingly hand-made by a child who has spent the last umteen months nurturing the growth and health of their little… errr big… Snooky. There Snooky sits, chewing her cud, relaxing as if she’s spent her whole life, well, relaxing. They almost smile as if to say, “This is the life I was meant for.” Should one of the cows express the end of their digestive cycle, heaven forbid that it should remain on the ground for more than a few moments before a 4-H volunteer runs over and scoops up the mess and shuttles it off in preservation of the dignity of their beloved friend. Here’s a wonderful picture of the cows enjoying the summer day.
(Click image to enlarge)
Ah, but there’s something the cows don’t realize. After the judging, they’re auctioned off to the highest bidder. They are bid farewell from the human companion and servant who has brought the cow to this pinnicle of life. Often their little human friend will shed a tear for their beloved 4-H project. The plaques and signs, so lovely hung are left for the end of the show when a crew in charge of cleaning the barn will toss them into the trash with the sawdust and the manure. For the new owners didn’t raise his new cow. He didn’t care for it and he doesn’t want to know it’s name. The cows are taken away in large trucks. Looking back, they see another 4-H project. It’s a sign all right. Hanging on the side of the fence where the cows are not allowed to see… until now.
Observations of Small Town Living (OOSTL)
Monday, September 14th, 2009Broadband for everyone! Broadband is a relative term. Take my connection for example. It’s faster than dial up. But slower than anything I’ve every tried. None the less, I’m thankful for it. If you live near a big city, broadband providers compete for your business. Here… not so much. In fact, it makes the paper when schools get broadband. click image to read the article.
Rainbow maker
Monday, September 14th, 2009If a storm has passed over, and it’s after 4:00 p.m. and the sun comes out. There’s a fairly good chance that a rainbow will follow. I’ve never seen so many rainbows in my life. This one is through our upper window.
Observations of Small Town Living (OOSTL)
Monday, September 14th, 2009Greetings now go away or die. Sometimes, you can’t exactly choose your neighbors. Especially when you know nothing about them before you laid down money for your dream home. Hospitality comes in many forms. For Jenny and I, we feel blessed to be able to live in this area and want nothing more than to share our home with friends, family and anyone who happens along. So, when the Mormon missionaries came around, we (well actually I) welcomed them in. Jenny is not much for the verbal sparing that I so enjoy. And yes, they actually found their way up the mountain to our door. I’m impressed.
As much as we might want to agree on some pivotal theological issues, we simply have to agree to disagree and hope that the other party changes their mind before they end up in hell (yes, we cordially agree on that point). And after we were done chatting and studying scriptures, I invited them out on their day off for a game of Frisbee golf. We all just played for the fun of it. And fun we had. I’m sure we’ll get back to theology soon too. I personally enjoy learning from people who are kind enough and patient enough to teach even though we’re not going to agree.
Our neighbors apparently don’t have the gift of hospitality. Nope. Not one whit. Nor do they have one whit apparently. During the game, the Mormon fellows told me that our neighbor came out the door with a shotgun when they approached. Having met all involved, I can only hope that the gun wasn’t loaded even though our neighbor probably was. I feel kind of sorry for her. You don’t pull out a gun and point it at perfect strangers (clean cut guys in their 20s, wearing white shirts, black pants and ties), unless you’re very afraid of something that has nothing to do with these visitors. Sad.
This is not the first time I’ve heard of someone being met with a gun up here in Idaho. A friend was tracking down his cow in his neighbor’s yard (yep, that’s a story unto itself) when his neighbor came around the house with a gun in hand.
Thankfully, I find the idiots are in the minority. And shootings by strangers are rare.